


The Truth Will Set You Free

by ShyLittleWriter



Category: Why Women Kill (TV)
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/F, and how she felt about it, it's not about April and Beth Ann, more like what happened to April's parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-20 18:04:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21285905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShyLittleWriter/pseuds/ShyLittleWriter
Summary: Beth Ann knew very well April's parents were a tough subject. So when April decides to tell her more about her past, she just sits and listens.
Relationships: Beth Ann Stanton/April Warner
Kudos: 21





	The Truth Will Set You Free

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. Brooke here, wanting to explain something to everyone before reading this.
> 
> As the tags say, the theme of this story is domestic violence. I've done extensive research on this subject and tried portrait it as it is. Please, if you are uncomfortable or feel triggered by this DO NOT READ THIS STORY!!!! YOUR MENTAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT TO ME AND I DO NOT WISH TO MAKE ANYONE GET FLASHBACKS OF BAD MEMORIES
> 
> Let it be known, I condemn every form of violence but as a writer I enjoy pushing myself to write about things I don't feel very comfortable so if you feel like there is something I could have done better, please let me know.
> 
> Your opinion is important to me and I value it highly.
> 
> Once again if you are triggered by the subject domestic violence (in all its forms, such as emotional, physical or sexual) DO NOT READ THIS STORY. AS I SAID BEFORE, YOUR MENTAL HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN A COUPLE OF KUDOS.
> 
> Stay safe kids.

Beth Ann knew very well April's parents were a tough subject. Hell, even more than that: they were a forbidden subject. She knew the worst thing to do was pressure April, so she doesn't bring those things up. At all.

April seems content with the life she's taking now. She's been offered a singing job at a famous restaurant in New York, and every night people all over the world would travel to see her. Beth Ann was proud of her. Since Elsie was only 4 months old, Beth Ann had decided to stay home and take care of the baby, much to April's dissagreament, considering she was more than capable of finding someone to do just that.

It was around 9 o'clock when April arrived. She was tired and in need of a warm bath and her bed. Taking the make-up off her face, she pushed herself to the bathroom, taking a quick bath and tucking herself in the sheets once she was ready. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

*************************

“You stupid bitch! What the fuck you think you’re doing?”

“I’m leaving you and I’m taking April with me. Our daughter deserves someone better than this excuse of a man you are!”

“The hell you are.”

She can see her mother’s arm being pulled from her. The sound of a hand smacking against flesh, the little drops of blood on her mother’s shirt while her husband is punching her, the table shaking with the weight of the two adults fighting near it. She should run, but her legs can’t move. She’s stuck, unable to help.

_“April”_

“You will learn were your place is!”

_“Darling, wake up.”_

“I am your husband, and you will obey me!”

_“April! Wake up!”_

She’s sweating. It’s the first thing she notices when she jumps awake. That, and Beth Ann’s quick reflexes to deflect a punch coming from April.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to awake you,” apologized April

“Don’t be silly darling. I was worried about you. You kept shaking and gripping the sheets, I was starting to worry you were going to hurt yourself at some point.”

“How did you know I needed help?”

“I just woke up with a strange feeling in my chest. Went to check on Elsie and saw her sleeping peacefully. Once I got here…you know.”

April is silent. The state of shock still hanging in her skin, enabling her to react.

"Can you just hold me?"

"Of course."

Beth Ann changed her position in April's bed to better hold the woman. While one hand caressed her hair, the other held her hand, making sure to reassure the trembling woman next to her.

"He wasn't always violent with her."

Beth Ann wasn't sure how to respond to that. She knew what April was referring to, but she wished the woman to show more signs she was certain this was something she wished to do.

“Are you sure you wanna do this now?”

“I need to. I can already feel my mind shutting the memories down. If I don’t talk, I’ll just keep them repressed in my mind. Are you sure you’re ready to hear about this?”

“I wanna know everything about you. Good and bad.”

April adjusted herself in the bed, laying her head in Beth Ann’s lap and embracing herself with her arms. Beth Ann continued stocking the other woman’s hair.

"It started with something small. It's funny…Once you start thinking back, you realize just how smart he was. He would randomly appear at our house, bringing flowers or chocolates. He would tell us one of his satisfied pacients or even a nurse who received them from an anonymous source. I overheard my mom talking to the florist of the town about how much people must spent to get my father flowers. Turns out, no one had even gone there to pick up a bouquet for him.

He also loved to parade my mom around his friends. Reminding them how amazing her body was and how jealous they should be of him, for having such a good woman. I lost count how many times he treatned to hurt of of his friends when they talked about my mom. Didn't matter if it was her cooking, her cleaning, or her clothing. My father would rage up and demand them an apology. He felt the need to hear them say they were sorry for complimenting his woman. I hated when he did that. Reminds me of the men, back when I worked at the diner, who would smack my ass during shifts."

"April…"

"Dont worry Beth. I'm used to it. My boss doesn't let anyone touch me while I'm performing now. He even kicked a man out for trying to jump on stage." 

"Dont you wanna get some rest? We can keep this conversation in the morning." 

"Do you mind if we continue? I know you must be tired." 

"I'll stay awake as long as you want me." 

"Well… over time he started getting worse. He would judge my mom in every way possible. Say she would dress to provoke the men on our street, he would take sayings of my mom and twist them into his liking, he even told her he was going to send me away to protect me from her deviant ways of living. You know the worse part of this…was that in front of anyone else, he was the perfect man, the perfect husband, the best father a little girl could have. They had no idea what went on between our four walls.

One day, he got home so angry, his face was blood red. My mom wasn't home yet, so my dad decided to destroy our living room entirely. I hid in my closet and waited for the noise to slow down. My mom went straight to my room when she arrived. I still don't know how she knew I was there. She just held me and told me not to worry.

'Daddy's just tired. He doesn't want to hurt you. He just had a bad day,' she told me. And I believed her, because the next day, my dad stayed home fixing the furniture and telling me how sorry he was for scaring me. From then on, whenever he was mad, he would go to another room of the house and destroy everything in there. Chairs, tables, porcelain, windows. If it was breakable, he would smach it. My mom would always stay with me, telling me the same thing. 'Daddy's just tired. He doesn't want to hurt you. He just had a bad day'.

It took me a while to understand she was trying to protect me. It wasn't until I was 9, that I started seeing the emotional side of his abuse. He would blame my mom for everything and anything, and yet, he never apologized for his wrongs. I guess that's what pushed him to get physical."

April stayed quiet for a moment. Beth Ann wanted to do more, but knew this wasn't the right thing to do. April needed to relieve herself from the weight of her past, and Beth Ann was going to listen.

"It was on the 4th of July. Mom had cooked for the family and everyone was just having fun. We were dancing and laughing and just…being a normal family. My father got home drunk and for some reason he decided that was the perfect moment to start yelling at everyone. My mom tried to calm him down and…you know, make him go to bed and not ruin the party. Instead he…he slapped her. Right there, in front of the family. My uncle Ben pushed him away and took him upstairs. I stayed with mom and tried to hug her, but my aunts wouldn't let me. When my uncle came back down, he had blood on his hand. My aunt was so mad, she even asked him if he had killed my dad. Do you wanna know what he said?"

"Yes."

"I wish I could. No man in this world as the right to hurt a woman like that. He was a really good man."

"Did something happen to him?" 

"My father happened. You know, one time, after many repeated times of my mom saying she was going to run away and leave him, she finally had the courage. She called uncle Ben and asked him to pick me up. We made it to the bridge. He, uhm, found us…dragged my mom and me back to the house and called the cops on my uncle. He was arrested for kidnapping. He died in prison."

"What happened to you?" 

"He locked me in my room. I was never allowed to leave, unless I was going to school. Remember how I told you my mom would apply makeup on her to cover the bruises?"

"Yes."

"She taught me how to do it on me. She told me, 'if Daddy ever hurts you like this, you'll have to cover yourself. We can't let people know the truth. How ironic of hers. Everyone knew the truth. Thing is, nobody cared."

"Oh honey…" 

Beth Ann pulled April to her lap, hugging her strongly. She had no idea the younger woman had suffered so much during her childhood.

"He died. My mom killed him. And no matter on many times I tell myself I'm safe, I still look over my shoulder worried he might show up and hurt me somehow," spoke April mufling her voice in Beth's night gown.

"Dont worry honey. You're safe with us. Sheila, Leo, me, we're all here for you."

Beth Ann never let go of April, allowing her time to grief and mourn her own struggles. Maybe, just maybe, April loved Beth Ann the way she wished she had loved Rob. 


End file.
